Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited has won an international competitive contract to build four eco-friendly harbour tugs for Denmark's Svitzer A/S, boosting India's commercial shipbuilding export footprint and alignment with national maritime modernization targets.
Swan Defence and Heavy Industries Limited (SDHI) has been awarded an international contract by Danish towage operator Svitzer A/S to construct four advanced TRAnsverse 3200 harbour tugboats. The vessels will be built at SDHI’s Pipavav shipyard located in Gujarat, India, with scheduled deliveries commencing in early 2028. SDHI earned the contract through a global evaluation process, marking its fourth consecutive export order for commercial vessels.
Based in Denmark, Svitzer A/S operates a global fleet exceeding 500 vessels and is a prominent provider of harbour towage and escort services. SDHI operates one of India's largest shipbuilding and heavy infrastructure sites at Pipavav, capable of executing complex commercial and defence naval contracts.
This order carries operational and strategic importance as global port operators accelerate fleet modernization to lower emissions and meet stricter environmental standards. The TRAnsverse 3200 design, jointly developed by Svitzer and naval architecture firm Robert Allan Ltd., delivers up to 15% improved fuel efficiency compared to traditional tug designs. Designed to Bureau Veritas classification standards, each vessel provides an 80-tonne bollard pull and features omni-directional propulsion paired with a specialized hydrodynamic hull for maneuvering in severe weather and constrained waterways. Additionally, the units will feature biofuel capability, IMO Tier III emissions compliance, and FiFi1 firefighting readiness.
The agreement underscores the expanding role of Indian maritime manufacturing within the international marine procurement landscape. For global towage operators, the strategic decision to source specialized, high-efficiency vessels from Indian yards demonstrates growing commercial confidence in the region’s shipyard execution capabilities. From a policy perspective, the contract reinforces national infrastructure agendas, including Maritime India Vision 2030 and domestic manufacturing directives, by bolstering high-value export industrial output in the shipbuilding sector.
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